Artificial Intelligence Concentration Block, Quest University Canada January 2018 Class Hours: 9:00AM to 12:00PM, in Room #320 Tutor: Richard Hoshino, Academic Building, Office #444 (e-mail) richard.hoshino@questu.ca (website) www.richardhoshino.com Textbook: Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, by Russell and Norvig. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the foundation for nearly every 21 st century technological breakthrough. From self-driving cars to automated translation apps, AI is transforming every aspect of our society, with numerous applications to health care, education, finance, transportation, and environmental sustainability. In this course, we uncover the mathematics of automated reasoning that enable us to understand the core topics of AI, which include search, constraint satisfaction, game playing, machine learning, knowledge representation and reasoning, planning, robotics, and natural language processing. We will achieve this through challenging problem sets, in-class presentations on AI topics and applications, and performing a close reading of the papers that will be presented at AAAI-18, the world's largest and most prestigious Artificial Intelligence conference. The last week of this course will take place in New Orleans, where students will attend AAAI-18, and interact with the researchers and companies whose technologies will shape our century. Course Evaluation Problem Sets (3 15%) 45% Group Seminar 15% Paper Presentation 10% Research Essay 10% Conference Plan 5% Final Journal 15% Course Forum We have a Moodle page, on which I will post all assessments, handouts, and grades. Please check this page after class each day: http://moodle.questu.ca/moodle/course/view.php?id=40727 We will also have a class Google Doc for various administrative items, which I ask you to check at least once each day. The URL is: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bl3i2cu2tnoffijuo7hi0vepmtl0hnqcxalhvsch97k/edit
Course Schedule and Assessments Day Date Work Due (by 8AM) Topic in Class (9AM to 12PM) 1 Monday Jan 15 Uninformed Search 2 Tuesday Jan 16 Informed Search 3 Wednesday Jan 17 Problem Set #1 Local Search 4 Thursday Jan 18 Adversarial Search 5 Friday Jan 19 Problem Set #2 Constraint Satisfaction 6 Monday Jan 22 Constraint Satisfaction 7 Tuesday Jan 23 Problem Set #3 Constraint Optimization 8 Wednesday Jan 24 Tournament Scheduling 9 Thursday Jan 25 Group Seminars Various AI Topics 10 Friday Jan 26 Group Seminars Various AI Topics 11 Monday Jan 29 Paper Presentations Presentations on AAAI-18 Papers 12 Tuesday Jan 30 Paper Presentations Presentations on AAAI-18 Papers Wednesday Jan 31 Research Essay Travel Day No Class Thursday Feb 1 Travel Day No Class 13 Friday Feb 2 Conference Plan AAAI-18 Conference 14 Saturday Feb 3 AAAI-18 Conference 15 Sunday Feb 4 AAAI-18 Conference 16 Monday Feb 5 AAAI-18 Conference 17 Tuesday Feb 6 AAAI-18 Conference 18 Wednesday Feb 7 Final Journal AAAI-18 Conference Course Assessments The three Problem Sets (worth 45%) will consist of challenging questions made up by the tutor, based on the readings from Chapter 2 to 6 in the course textbook. The goal of the Problem Sets is to develop a deep understanding of two key topics in AI: search and constraint satisfaction. The Group Seminar (worth 15%) will be conducted in teams of three or four, and will consist of a 40-minute seminar. Each group will lead a seminar on one of the following core topics of AI: Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (Ch 12), Bayesian Inference (Ch 13, 14), Decision- Making (Ch 16, 17), Machine Learning (Ch 18), Natural Language Processing (Ch 22, 23), Vision/Perception (Ch 24), and Robotics (Ch 25). The goal of the Group Seminar is to develop a conceptual understanding of each of these core topics of AI. To prepare for your seminar, you will read the relevant chapters from the course textbook, and find websites and recent papers on your chosen topic (ideally, including several papers from AAAI-18). In your seminar, you will motivate your topic by explaining its significance, explain recent developments in the field, and walk us through the solution of an interesting real-life application or problem (e.g. a Machine Learning algorithm for identifying/recognizing handwritten digits). Finally, your group will prepare a one-page double-sided handout on your topic, with both the theoretical ideas as well as its applications (e.g. how Natural Language Processing is used by Google to do automated translation).
Each student will perform a close reading of the six papers that will appear in one of the panels that will take place during the AAAI-18 conference; each panel is a specialized sub-topic within a main AI topic, an example being Natural Language Processing: Parsing and Translation or Natural Language Processing: Information Extraction. Typically, there are six papers in each panel, where three will be presented as a 15-minute talk, and three will be delivered in a conference-wide poster presentation. You will submit a Research Essay (worth 10%) that explains the significance of your chosen subtopic and its history, summarizes the key ideas and themes of the six-paper AAAI-18 panel, presents the theoretical/practical significance of the research that will be presented at this panel, explain the limitations and shortcomings of these six papers, and concludes with a list of questions you d ask each of the authors. Furthermore, you will deliver a 15-minute Paper Presentation (worth 10%) on one of the papers presented at AAAI-18, as if you were the author of the paper. I strongly encourage that you select one of the six papers in your panel, but this is not a requirement. Just before we start the conference, you will submit a Conference Plan (worth 5%) that explains which panels and poster sessions you plan to attend, which social events you plan to go to, which researchers and recruiters you plan to meet, and what you hope to learn from attending AAAI-18. And on the last day of the conference/course, you will submit a Final Journal (worth 15%) that contains daily reflections from what you learned, who you met, and what you will take away from this experience. Note that this final assessment may be in any format e.g. a written report with daily reflections, a short video uploaded to YouTube, or something else. Finally, I will ask you to complete various administrative matters related to the course and for our trip to New Orleans. While these tasks are not worth any mark credit, a failure to complete these tasks by the specified deadline will result in deductions to your final course grade. Please don t let that happen, and ensure you complete every single assigned task on time. Attendance: Course Policies It is expected that you attend every class. We begin each day at 9:00AM sharp. If you must miss a class for any reason (e.g. illness, family emergency, religious observance), contact me immediately, by e-mail. Regardless of the reason, it is your responsibility to catch up on the material you have missed, and obtain the notes from a classmate (not from me). Assessments: All assessments are due at 8:00AM on the day indicated: one hour before the start of class. Problem Sets will be submitted in a coloured folder that will be left outside my office on the fourth floor of the Academic Building (#444). As I plan to complete some of the marking in the hour before class, your assessment must be submitted by this time. All other assessments will be submitted via Moodle.
Any submission that is late, even by one minute, will be subject to a severe late penalty at my discretion (usually 20%). You are allowed one exception to this policy, where you are allowed a 24-hour extension to any assessment, with no penalty, provided you have a doctor s note or some other relevant documentation. Additional exceptions will only be given under extenuating circumstances. I strongly recommend that you have your Problem Set completed and submitted before you leave the Academic Building in the evening, thus avoiding the inconvenience of having to arrive at school early to hand it in. Field Trip Behaviour: The last week of the course will take place in New Orleans, as we attend the AAAI-18 conference and represent our university. Here are the rules. You are representing Quest (and yourself) to an international community of scholars. You are to conduct yourself with integrity and maturity at all times. You must have a valid passport and can meet any visa/medical requirements. If your passport has expired, you will need to get a new passport immediately. Absolutely no illegal substances or activities of any kind. A violation of this rule constitutes an automatic failure in the course. During the hours of the AAAI-18 conference, alcohol consumption is prohibited. Outside of the hours of the conference, the expectation is that students will adhere to same policy. In Louisiana, the drinking age is 21, and minors may not possess or consume alcohol. Furthermore, it is a serious offence to provide minors with alcohol. QUC Guard.me student insurance will not cover costs associated with an incident if it is found that alcohol consumption is seen to be a factor in the incident. Once we arrive in New Orleans, we will have a check-in twice each day, around 8:30AM just before the opening panel begins, and around 5:00PM just after the final panel has ended. We will confirm the dates/times/locations shortly after arrival. Attendance at these daily check-ins is mandatory unless you have a compelling reason (e.g. I will be having a breakfast meeting with a recruiter or potential graduate school supervisor). If you need to miss a check-in, you must inform me beforehand, either by e-mail or by sending me a text message (604-848-5503). Outside of the hours of the conference, you are expected to pair up with a buddy so that you are not wandering the streets of New Orleans by yourself. (As you likely know, New Orleans is one of the most dangerous cities in North America.) If you are going somewhere in the evenings, send me a quick text or e-mail so that I know where you are. I expect all of you to be back in your residence/hostel by 11PM at the absolute latest. Anytime before 11PM, I require an e-mail message from one person from each residence/hostel, to confirm that each of you is back home. (For example, if six of you are staying at the same hostel, I require just a single e-mail from one of you.)
Technology: As a courtesy to me and your fellow students, ensure your cell phone is turned off during class hours (including breakout sessions). In fact, I d appreciate it if you don t bring your cell phone to class. If you absolutely must bring your phone, leave it in your backpack so that it is not visible to either of us. Also, you will not require your laptop during our in-class activities. Therefore, if you choose to bring your laptop with you, please leave it in your backpack. Scheduling Meetings: If you have an Academic Accommodation Plan, please make an appointment to see me on the afternoon of Day 1. Speak to me at the end of class (12PM) or contact me by e-mail, and we will set up a time to meet. I look forward to learning how I can be of service to you. If you have any other questions or concerns about the course, speak to me at the end of class, or contact me by e- mail, and we will set up a one-on-one meeting at a mutually convenient time. During the first two weeks, I will be walking around the 3 rd floor of the Library Building between 3PM and 4PM every day. This is where I recommend you work, in case you (and your small group) have any questions on the Problem Set, or have any ideas you wish to bounce off of me. My office hours will typically be on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, but the times will vary; you can sign up for a 15-minute meeting on the class Google Doc. If you need assistance on the Problem Set, Group Seminar, Paper Presentation, or Research Essay, please wait until our 3PM get-together; for all other questions/concerns/issues, let s meet individually during office hours. Please note that I do not have an open-door policy, where students can come by my office at any time. Therefore, do not drop by my office if you do not have an appointment, even if you need just one minute to ask a quick question. No exceptions. Thank you for your understanding. Grading: We will use the following scale to convert numerical scores into letter grades: A 93% 100% C+ 77% 79% A- 90% 92% C 73% 76% B+ 87% 89% C- 70% 72% B 83% 86% D 60% 69% B- 80% 82% F 0% 59% Whenever I return a Problem Set, I will always post a model solution on the Moodle Page. If you wish to respectfully ask why you received a certain mark on a question, you must first carefully review the online model solution that was posted for that question and compare that solution with the comments I have provided for you. If you still disagree with the mark you received, you must e-mail me to request an appointment, and we will set up a time to meet sometime the following day. At this time (and not before), we will discuss your concerns. Please do not debate grades with me. I find it an incredible drain on my time and energy, and prevents me from serving students well.
Plagiarism: As with all other courses at Quest, you are expected to adhere to the university honour code. In this course, any blatant act of cheating (e.g. finding an online solution to an assignment problem) will receive a zero for the first offense, and an automatic failure for the second offense. In both cases, I will immediately report the incident to the Chief Academic Officer. So that there is no ambiguity, there are two non-negotiable rules. A violation of either rule constitutes plagiarism. Even if you meet with a classmate to discuss an Individual Problem on the Problem Set, the articulation of your thought process (i.e., what you submit to me), must be an individual activity, done in your own words, away from others. Please remember that the solution-writing process is the bulk of where your learning will occur during the first two weeks in this course: much more than anything we do in class, and even more than the time you spend on solving the problems. Don t be surprised if it takes you 3 to 5 times as long to write up a solution than it takes you to actually solve the problem. (For me, as a research mathematician writing formal proofs for publications, my ratio is significantly higher!) The Problem Sets are meant to be demanding, and struggling through a problem is where the bulk of the learning takes place. Your educational experience is cheapened by going online and finding the solution to a problem even using the Internet to look for a small hint is unacceptable. In return, I will be readily available during our daily hour-long gettogethers in the Library Building, and upon request, will also post hints to the Problem Set on our Google Doc. (I have designed the course so that the class Google Doc and Moodle Page are the only online resources you will need!) One Final Word: My hope is that through this course, you will discover that Artificial Intelligence is exciting, beautiful, powerful, and applicable to everything in this world; and that through your efforts over the next three and a half weeks, you will further develop the confidence, critical thinking, and communication skills that will be so essential throughout your life. Thank you for taking this block in Artificial Intelligence, and entrusting me to shape your liberal arts education here at Quest University Canada. I am so excited to serve as your tutor, and going to the AAAI-18 Conference with each of you!